The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-01-14
CHUN HOOK IN COURT.
He Pleads for Mercy. and Receives
an Additional Sentence of One
Month

| -
an Additional Sentence of On
Month.
Chun Hook, the escapee, was brough
before the Police Court yesterday morn
ing, charged with escaping from the
prison gang while at work on the Nut
anu Valley road, on December 9TH, COZ
trary to section 8, chapter 29, of the
Penal Code. On the charge being in
terpreted to him he pleaded guilty, and
prayed in accents of contrition that the
Court would deal leniently with him.
considering TIE long cumulative SEN
| fences which yet remained unexpired.
Police Justice Dayton answered that
he had had some private conversation
with the prisoner, and had learned from
him the reasons which he said had in
duced him to attempt the escape. These
circumstances caused him to entertain
some sympathy for the prisoner, and
considering the long term of the SEN
fences he had to serve, it was not sur
prising that he took the chance to es-
cape. They dated from June q, 1884,
and extended over a period of eleven
years and five months, his fines aggre-
eating 1925 So. 1t was necessary under
the law to impose some penalty, and he
would sentence him to an additional one
months hard labor, to commence at the
expiration of his former sentences.
Following is list of the sentences
that the prisoner has to work out, to-
gether with the dates of their commence
ment and the crimes for which they
were imposed.
Term. and Costs
June u, 1884 Opium in posses
sion. ...................-.....2 months S51 Is
July 81, 1884, House breaking 2 years 90
January s., 1885, Larceny list de-
February q, 1885, Escaping years LUZ ~
from prison gang. 6 months i 90
March IL, 1886, Escaping from
March IL, 1886, Assault and bat
terry with knife. .............. 2 years &c 90
March IL, 1886, Carrying pistol 81 co
March II, 1885, Larceny of pis-
toll and knife. ...............2 years II 80
April 5, 1886, Burglary. i year 90
January Is, 1887, Escaping from
prison gang ............l month 90
Total ..............1 IL years months 1926 65
The circumstances which influenced
the Justice in taking a lenient view of
the case are somewhat interesting as il
Illustrating the perfdious side of Chinese
character, and from which it would APP
pear that the proverb, "Honor among
thieves" is a factor entirely unknown,
at least among those of his countrymen
in whom Chun Hook put his trust. AS
is well known, recently pardoned COM
rade induced him to "slip" the gang
under pretense of assisting him to Sc
cure passage back to China on board
the j. II. Bowers, then loading for Hong
kong. But the reward proffered offered
by the Government proved too tempting
a bait for this willy Celestial, and while
his attitude towards his less fortunate
chum remained apparently unchanged,
he was in reality making overtures to
the police. From the information i'm
parted by him it was known to the
some two weeks before the
recapture that the object of their search
was somewhere in the vicinity of Moi
liili, near Honolulu, but owing to the
difficult nature of the country it was
thought inadvisable to make a raid upon
him there lest it should be unsuc
cessful and put more on the alert.
The arrangements which Chun Hooks
false friend made were that the
two should meet the night before the
ship was expected to sail, and an express
had been engaged to convey them at
2 a. m to the wharf. The runaway was
then to be slowed away on board the J.
HI. Bowers, and as some 10 Chinese had
taken passage by that vessel he had
hopes of passing unnoticed. Two police
officers were in waiting on board, ready
to pounce upon him directly he made
his appearance, but as it happened mat
tiers did not advance this far, owing to
the Intervention of other false friends.
Before the appointed time, one of these
was deputed to meet Chun Hook at his
hiding place. give the preconcerted signal
in vogue among the members of the secret
society, to which all belonged (although
Chun Hook was not a member of the
Honolulu braneh), and represent to him
that the first mentioned Chinaman was
playing him false (Which was a fact) and
undertake to look after him and provide
him with food, the escape by sea being
abandoned for the time being as imprac-
ticable. These representations had the
desired effect, and the doubly deluded
convict was being escorted along the
Waikiki road by this second friend, in
accordance with arrangements previ-
ously made with Deputy Marshal Day
ton, when he was captured, as already
described. 1t will thus be seen that
two distinct plots were in existence to
recapture Chun Hook, both of which
were being carried out independentIv.